items of journalistic interest.

Seeing that I spend a good two to three hours a day splayed out on my deck in an attempt to add some pigment to my embarrassingly (for an Asian who spends the majority of her time in California) pale skin, I've been doing some major magazine-perusing lately (actual novels require too much eyestrain in the sun). Items of interest:

1. Joel Stein, columnist for Time. 

I've never been a dedicated follower of any single columnist; I tend to just drift to articles that interest me. But this guy can get me to read about anything, including sports, which means that I've officially sold my soul. The dude is freaking hilarious. I swear, he could write a ten word sentence about feet and it would have me on the floor. I have to read his columns in private or else people (namely, my parents) will think I'm high. Too bad he's married, because I'm pretty sure I have a crush on him and his genius wit. We even have the same birthday. (Which makes three: my friend Jill, Daniel Radcliffe, and Joel Stein. Yes, I wiki-stalked a Time columnist. Whatever, judging is for losers.)

2. "The New Trophy Wives: Asian Women" by Ying Chu; Marie Claire.

An investigation into  yellow fever. If you're female and Asian-American, you've probably experienced it yourself. If not, you've probably noticed all those Hollywood tycoons with Asian arm candy (Nicolas Cage, Woody Allen, etc.)-- is it love, or a fetish? The ever-elusive question explored, here. (I have some issues with this article, but it brings up some interesting points.)

3. Fashion mags' obsession with the recession.

This is a point of annoyance rather than interest. We all know there's a recession going on. We all know people are in a financial pinch. But fashion mags aren't supposed to be budget-conscious; they're supposed to be a means of escape. When I open a fashion magazine, I don't want to see the clothes I see at the mall; I want to see the creative, fantastical, artistic creations walking down the runway. I don't buy a magazine to see American Eagle and Keds, I buy it to see 3.1 Phillip Lim and Louboutins. So please, enough with the "budget issues," the "everything for under $100," the "money-saving shopping guides." I don't want some diet version of fashion; I want the real thing, thanks.